I can't figure out a way to use it in a comment, but this reminds me of a clip from The Legend of 1900--the "smiling man" would be the first immigrant on this particular ship who saw the Statue of Liberty as the ship approached the port.

If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's the first movie I've really liked in a long time (I missed it when it came out--just watched it about a month ago at the recommendation of a friend).